Camera Obscura: Cemetery Man, X-Men, Comics Galore

The critic is: IN. The movies: Obscure and Mainstream. The News: Sneak peeks at movies out this summer. Ah, yes, faithful followers, it's time to talk movies and we have a bona fide horror gem from the early 90s fresh to DVD; a Canadian treasure; a look at what oddities are ahead this summer and the bad news about X-Men 3.

This week new previews of Marvel Comics "Ghost Rider" were released (the movie stars Nicolas Cage, who turned down a proposed "Superman" role and went for the flamin' skeleton on a motorcycle. Who wouldn't? The preview is here.

Director Jon Favreau has "Iron Man" details here, in a deal that takes all the Marvel titles away from Hollywood control. In fact, Marvel has a whole stack of heroes in the pipeline, including Nick Fury!! (Please never watch that lousy David Hasselhoff TV movie from a few years ago.)

The big comics-to-movies news is the third X-Men movie - and the critics so far say it's all hat and no cattle. Meaning it's effects-heavy and story-light. I admit, the idea of Kelsey Grammer as The Beast is almost enough to keep me away from the movie. It opens everywhere today. (and remember, film critics seldom get the comic book lovers appreciation for the stories told in panels and word balloons.)

And wouldn't you know it - the one movie featured at the Cannes Festival I'd like to see, "Southland Tales" by the director/writer of "Donnie Darko" can't seem to find a distributor. J. Hoberman has a review of "Southland Tales", a Phillip Dick inspired sci-fi end-of-the world musical and satiric jab at national security issues, along with a wrap-up of all things Cannes here. He calls "Southland" one of the first great, visionary flicks of 2006. (Also the movie is linked to a series of soon to be released graphic novels.)

"Southland Tales"

Constant readers here know how much I looooove horror films and I have a real gem from the 1990s today, thanks to the folks at Anchor Bay and M-80 Teams for the screener copy of "Cemetery Man."

Released in the mid-90s and made in 1994 "Cemetery Man" is a jaw-dropping mix of zombies and doomed love starrring Rupert Everett. I caught this movie on it's original run and the Italian-French production (dubbed in English) presents a very stylish and gruesome movie -- imagine if Fellini and Bergman made a zombie movie with Sam Raimi and you'll get an idea of what the movie is like. I think it's the only art-house zombie flick I've ever seen.

"Cemetery Man"

Rupert plays the watchman at a cemetery, along with a nearly mute helper, who has a problem - the dead keep coming back. He does his best to keep the zombies at bay, but when he sees a widow, an ephemeral beauty in black, one day, he falls in love - of course, she's bitten by her dead husband and becomes a member of the walking dead club.

This is the surface of the story, but the real surprise is how smart the script is and how gorgeous the visuals look. There are many layers here and many surprises. It's very funny, grim and artfully made. It was way past time for a decent DVD version of this movie and I think it's a forgotten classic of the genre. Pick up a copy when it's released in June. (And remember, NEVER bury a motorcyle with a corpse.)

This week a reader asked if I had seen a very odd release from director Guy Maddin, called "The Saddest Music In The World", and what my thoughts on it were. This is not a typical movie in any way. Maddin, a Canadian, seldom uses any technology not available to filmmakers in the early silent cinema of the 1900s. Using eight and sixteen millimeter for the most part, filming mostly black and white, smearing lenses with vaseline and using iris-outs, his movies seldom appeal to the masses.

"Saddest Music" is about a competition to find the saddest music, hosted by beer baroness Isabella Rossellini, who has lost her legs and replaced them with glass legs. It only gets stranger as you watch it. There is much satire here and much, much strangeness as only Maddin could make.

I first encountered Maddin in 1991 when I saw his movie "Archangel" in a dinky screening room in Greenwich Village. Maddin somehow always makes amputees and amnesia central to his movies, which I suppose is his preferred metaphor for the theme in all his movies - loss. He's an acquired taste, no doubt. Though I have enjoyed his movies, I was not able to sit through his version of Dracula, titled "Dracula: Pages From A Virgin's Diary", as it was really a filmed ballet. Yes, I said ballet.

Some things are too weird, even for me.

UPDATE: The announced release of the original theatrical "Star Wars" movies got worse - no letterbox version, just a pan and scan format for TV screens.

And weep for Britney/Federline 'cause it's over.

"Kung Fu" creators are taking Caine's story to the big screen.

Is Hell Freezing Over?

A tax on long distance service dating back to the late 1800s and used to help finance the Spanish American war is being repealed and more amazing, the government says you can reclaim some of the money on next year's tax return. Details here.

Efforts are still underway to eliminate an excise tax on local phone service.

"So taxpayers won't have to spend time digging through old telephone bills, we're designing a straightforward process that taxpayers may use when they file their tax returns next year, said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson. "Claiming a refund will be simple and fair."

[Treasury Secretary] Snow said he could not specify how much of the refund might be made to businesses and how much to individuals, or estimate the size of refund an average individual could expect to get.

He also urged Congress to repeal the excise tax on local telephone service. The Justice Department had appealed in U.S. courts to keep the long-distance tax but was turned back several times."

Did it just get frosty in Hell? How unreadable and obscure are other sections of a typical phone bill?

In an unrelated yet pertinent event, I noticed in a movie from 1989 that a character was speaking to someone thru a device that was a heavy-looking rectangle of black with a curly cord attached to one end ... and I thought, how many people have never used a phone with one of those unmanageable loops of cord connecting a handset to a base? (Handset?? Base???)

It's Officially Towel Day!

It's time to grab a towel and flag down an interstellar ride!

" A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough."

Principal Told To Drop Case Against Student

Some updates on stories from yesterday.

As mentioned yesterday, the case involving a Gallatin senior who spoke out at the school's graduation won't be charged with a crime after all. National and international bloggers and news reports seems to have made the necessary impact. Criminal charges against the student were just wrong. And maybe the school will start allowing for academic achievers to have a voice in graduation ceremonies. Maybe.

Also, the Justice Dept. says that House Speaker Hastert is not under investigation and requested ABC issue a retraction to the story - however ABC maintains that the story was meant to indicate he is "in the mix" of persons involved in congressional probes of bribery and corruption. This story will tumble about for months before it ends - how many will be charged? Hard to say at this point, but I expect after a few perfunctory fall guys get pinned, the whole mess will get swept aside until after this fall's elections.

Newscoma has a great clip of newsman Jack Cafferty calling out the hypocrisy in Congress.

DeLay Uses Colbert as Defense and Other Ironies

As rumors of investigations and scandal continue to swirl over congress it is obvious that Weird and Ironic will be the twin dangers like Scylla and Charybdis, waiting to swallow those who are too close.

First is the truly amazing story that Tom DeLay's Legal Defense Fund has decided that comedian Steven Colbert's satire is DeLay's best defense. Astonishing on so many levels and just darned funny too.

And I must wonder, since the news was released today that the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is under investigation by the FBI as part of a massive corruption scandal -- was that why he was so upset that the FBI actually raided a congressional office?

Hastert's web page even goes so far as to express grave concern about warrants or the lack of them, and the the importance of Constitutional rights and consolidating power in one branch of government.

Now, he's concerned. When it was just the average American whose rights were being trampled, well that's national security.

High School Grad Faces Criminal Charge For Speaking

I had thought of providing an address to the graduates of 2006, a commencement speech which might offer something useful to grads leaving school behind and entering the working world. However, I read a story today about a valedictorian from Gallatin who experienced a volatile blend of just how silly both school and non-school worlds truly are.

The school oddly does not allow for top academic performers to speak at graduation. Applause from the audience is also banned and spectators are threatened with criminal charges.

Criminal charges have been filed against valedictorian Chris Linzy for defying the ban on speaking at the ceremony and now school officials say his diploma is on hold and school officials have confiscated his records.

Welcome to America 2006, Chris.

He did write and submit an apology to the school board for "disrupting" the ceremony. Apparently, the board wants to pursue the issue into criminal court.

TGW has a post about this, including contact info to tell school officials what you think.

And here are Chris' comments which brought out the rabid, senseless anger of the principal of the school, titled:

People who need to be heard are silenced

By Christopher David Linzy

Guest commentary

Christopher David Linzy, member of a generation not without heroes but worse with counterfeit heroes.

This is not because those persons that deserve to be role models do not exist but instead because these people that need to be heard most in our society are silenced by the roar of counterfeit personalities.

The great industrialists and philosophers of our society are drowned out by nihilistic and altruistic celebrity voices that preach a message the end result of which is in fact the destruction of our industrial world.

These people have become our generation'’s only guides and this is why we live in a moral vacuum. With no one to inspire us to pursue our desires and personal goals we turn instead to the mindless goal of the so called collective mind. Individuals are lost in a sea of disillusion and decay.

This however can be stopped. Our generation can turn back the tide of decay and build a new America upon the values of reason and individuality. We can lead not only ourselves but all who follow us out of the swamp of the mind and onto ground paved with individual morality and reason driven ambitions.

UPDATE: The principal at the school was ordered to provide the diploma Linzy earned. No word yet if the idiotic criminal charge is going to be dismissed. However the one enormous positiver from this chuckle-headed, fearful action by the principal -- it has insured that bloggers and news sites around the state and the nation are providing copies of Linzy's words to a massive audience. Can't silence that, can they? (thanks to NiT for the news update)

Not To Be Missed

There's still time for you to get involved and add your questions to the ever-growing list of inquiries into what you, dear readers, want to have me answer. Perhaps it's personal or perhaps it's something more .... well, something more. Some samples from the list now include:

-- It is winter of 1874. You are leading the Brady Bunch (including Alice and Tiger) from Provo, Utah to Breckinridge, Colorado in search of gold, when something goes horribly awry. Which Brady do you cannibalize first, and why?

-- You have fallen out the window into a vat of toxic waste, and have transformed into the Toxic Joe-venger, super hero extraordinaire. What is your super power?

-- Who does your hair?

-- When did you decide journalism was for you?

And, who knew, some of the questions submitted got some answers already:

-- Zombies are overrunning Morristown! Which weapon do you grab first? Moonshine and a Moon Pie

I asked myself a question just last night - If I were a congressman would I rather be videotaped by the FBI for hauling giant packs of $100 bills in bribe money into my car or sneaking around Britney Spears waiting for a chance to trip her as she ran away from photographers while loosely holding an infant?

You can add yours to the comments on this post or on this one -- I am quite sure the final result will be a post not to be missed and thanks for asking.

Locals Foot Bill For Cheney Fundraiser

A couple of thoughts about how taxpayer dollars are being spent or should be spent.

Enclave has the details about how the $13,000 plus expenses for security were charged to taxpayers for a GOP fundraising event led by V.P. Cheney. I'd like one reason why fundraising dollars should NOT pay for this rather than taxpayers.

Also, some debate about extra revenue for the state is just silly. First, these are "projected increases" and haven't even been counted much less captured by the state yet. And second, for all the whining about funding education, why buck the notion that any extra earnings should go into education? What hypocrisy.

The spend, spend, spend philosphy needs to keep focused on improving fundings for programs that will increase jobs - like the proposal to encourage filmmaking in the state - and keeping the state's reserve fund strong. That also provides a better rating statewide for fiscal responsibility.

Science Helps Find Worst Song Ever

We all have our reasons for liking a certain song, and now we have science backing our gut reactions. Sometimes the tunes we encounter each day affect us in such a harsh and negative way it's almost inexplicable.

Not anymore. Now the scientific method has been applied to the issue and the result is categorized elements which lead to hating a song. The basic goal of the research was to find an answer to the question "What is the worst song ever?" The result is a paper titled "The Pain, The Pain: Modelling Music Information Behavior and The Songs We Hate." Glad to see college students are getting science and research into the burning questions of our time. Oh, and creating nifty terms like Music Information Retrieval

Read the full report here (via MetaFilter).

The report does identify the Worst Song Ever and I totally agree it is painfully awful. My question is what do we do to stop the millions of people who paid money to hear the tune voted most awful? Why did it irritate so much? The report says

" ... respondents objected to its earworm qualities, lyrics, overly-simple melody, its taste culture, and yes, even cited personal associations (“My ex used to try to dance to it when we went out, and I have hated it and him since”)."

One respondent to the inquiry claimed the Gershwin tune "Summertime" was the worst, leaving an emotional stain on the listener. I don't understand that at all - who hates a tune that can be covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, The Zombies, The Beatles, James Brown - in fact one site claims it has been recorded more than 2600 times!

And while I agree that the tune cited in the report as Worst is bad - the most recent winner of the Worst Song Award is the "My Humps" tune by The Black-Eyed Peas. Did I say tune? I meant "tuneless".

Smells Like A Raid On Teen Savings

Part of the much-praised tax cuts signed into law includes a provision to triple the taxes on teenagers who have savings acounts for college, and even higher on the interest generated, according to a report in the NYTimes.

Claims are made that nearly $2 billion in revenue over a 10 year period will be achieved. Taxes are to be applied retroactive to Jan 1, 2006.

Americans For Tax Reform and their president Grover Norquist, who got 256 members of Congress to sign a pledge not to increase taxes, says:

"Mr. Norquist, in an interview Thursday, said he was unaware that the bill raised taxes and tax rates on teenagers with college savings funds because "no one here noticed" the provisions. But Mr. Norquist called the bill raising taxes on teenagers with investment income "a technical violation of the pledge" and noted that his group opposes all retroactive tax increases. He pledged to immediately begin a campaign to have the tax increases rescinded"

I understand some children save change in piggy banks and some mythical Tooth Fairy leaves currency for teeth, too. Is it time for a Tooth Tax?

300th Post and A Request

A minor milestone today, but large enough for me to take note of it. This marks the 300th post on this blog. I have discovered that my feeble mind encounters not a learning curve about web publishing but an line that goes straight up - and I know I have barely begun to scale this wall of knowledge and have miles to go.

For instance, some of you who use an Internet Explorer browser to view this page are getting some garbled layout. Myself, I use Mozilla/Firefox and on that it appears much as I planned for it to look.

That simply means reading lines of code looking for oddities and making sure some images are properly sized, yatta yatta boring stuff here.

On Day One of this Cup of digital Joe, I posted 4 times. but usually I keep it two or three a day. And my mom says I get long-winded and need to alter my style for this medium. Well, I am what I am.

Also on Day One I noted a report from Pew Research which claimed a new blog was created every 5.8 seconds or about 15,000 new ones each day. Getting any readers in such a crowded field has been a little easier than I thought, to be honest, and as I look at readership for this page, I find a line that goes straight up - just like that not-a-curved-line aspect to my education about web publishing.

Large thanks are due to many readers, fellow bloggers and blog groups which have helped me learn to share what I write here - especially the Rocky Top Brigade and more recently Nashville Is Talking (thanks too for allowing me to host the site this past weekend!!)

I still read far more than I write and often take a few days to consider what I've read in order to offer an informed opinion. Hopefully, anway.

Following the idea I stole - er, got - from a fellow blogger, in honor of this post, I'd like you, dear readers, to submit questions about me, your humble narrator, which you'd like to know. If I can get, oh, say 50 to 100, I'll answer them. If I don't get that many, I'm likely to remain obscure and quiet on biographical topics.

Place your question in the comments section or send them to my email address, which you can find in my profile.

Thanks for reading - and as always, there will be more later today!

Your Personal Invitation

I'm approaching my 300th post here - a minor achievement for some, but large for me - and to celebrate I'm guest-blogging at Nashville Is Talking for the weekend. Having grown up in Middle TN, it's nice to be back, virtually speaking.

Come join me - suggest topics or links, lurk, and generally add your 2 cents.

For NIT readers arriving here for the first time, please take your time, scan through the posts here and you'll understand why folks like their Cup of Joe.

Man, I love the shameless self-promotion opportunities like this.

Camera Obscura - A New Western and A Classic Turkey

Got a peek at some new movies, some not so new, and what??? The French don't like little Ronnie Howard's version of "DaVinci Code"? Yeah, like that will affect the ticket sales the first weekend. Also, Mr. Spielberg wants you to show off your filmmaking skills for a new "reality" show. Oh, and I'll be guest blogging at Nashville Is Talking this weekend, so be sure to come visit!

Wonder why it is that most of us film critics love the Western? Without Clint Eastwood though, can't say many filmmakers try the genre anymore - I said filmmakers not Kevin Costner.

Punk rock legend and now screenwriter Nick Cave has a new Australian western opening today called "Proposition" that is a grim and violent tale of moral wastelands and stars Guy Pearce and Danny Huston (yes, that Huston family) and follows the Sam Peckinpah style for Westerns. The story is set in the 19th century Australian outback as three deadly brothers run from the law and challenge each. Though likely to find a more welcome home on the Cult Movie Trail, you can read more about this feature here, which also has a preview of the movie.

You've got a directing call on "The Lot", which has the unlikely team of Steve Spielberg and Mark Burnett offering a $1 million development deal at DreamWorks. Contestants will have to make short films which please judges and viewers to win. Apply online at The Lot.com.

I had a most enjoyable time with the comedy-action-adventure "The Brothers Grimm" by Terry Gilliam starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. If you don't know, long before it was all Disneyfied, folk tales collected by these brothers shaped the creations of childhood stories from Sleeping Beauty to Snow White and far beyond. Monica Bellucci has the juicy part of the evil witch, evoking decades of Disney animation.

This movie is a great blending of fact, fantasy and history more in line with Gilliam's earlier work, like "Time Bandits", so if you liked that one - this will be most welcome. It's a phantasmagoria ride thru the con game of storytelling, myth, politics and innocence lost. And true to Gilliam's style, the movie was haunted with problems and delays but the end result was most fine. I particularly liked how Heath and Matt both kept skidding through the mud and rain - what's a Gilliam film without mud and rain??

I watched a real gem of a movie this week, haven't seen it in years. It was too hip for the room when it came out in 1971, and still has yet to find a DVD or VHS release, so look for it on cable - definitely worth the search.

"Cold Turkey" is a brilliant satire on America by writer/director Norman Lear and includes a great Randy Newman tune, "He Gives Us All His Love", which frames the movie perfectly. The story is about a giant tobacco corporation which decides to offer any town that can quit smoking for 30 days $25 million - thinking it's an impossible task. The lure of money is too great for Eagle Rock, Iowa and that premise is just a springboard for a stabbing satire on small towns, industry, television and personal politics.

Made in the days just after cigarette ads were banned on TV, it has a low-key comedy all-star lineup. Bob Newhart gets the role of the evil tobacco PR man who concocts the scheme, Dick Van Dyke as the self-righteous preacher who craves a better life and the best use ever on camera of comedy legends Bob and Ray, who blast the media impersonating Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Paul Harvey and many more.

I fell in love with the movie when I saw it decades ago and it remains all it's teeth and bite decades later.

Duh! Senate Realizes English Be Spoke Here

In a bold stroke of stating the obvious, the Senate has approved legislation making English the official language of this country. Um ... it already was. Did we need a federal law to make it so?

I agree with the following comment from Sen. Harry Reid on this one:

"Although the intent may not be there, I really believe this amendment is racist. I believe it is directed at people who speak Spanish"

All of the mangled mess of immigration legislation will require those who'll be elected in the fall to be on clean-up duty, meaning I doubt these current "reforms" will stand for very long. Seems there's so much unreasoning, isolationist fear that regular voters will have to do some cleaning out too.

Or we can continue the trend to pass meaningless law -

Like making the Sky and Clouds the official Overhead Part of the Country.

Silly, yes? Then the motives behind this legislation are clear - to exclude, isolate, imtimidate. Maybe we should pass a Dialect Law in Tennessee. Outlaw the Georgia Drawl!!

As Homer Simpson said, "Why should I learn English? I don't live in England!"

Since I have a degree in English - am I a Federal Employee now?

A Very Unscientific Survey

The following is meant to be a probe of reader's opinions, and as David Letterman might say, "please, no wagering". It's also a chance for readers here to share their views and ease my curiosity about the world around me and around you. So take a few moments, and leave a response. Much thanks!

1 - Is illegal immigration in the U.S. at a critical phase or is this issue being used to distract Americans from other problems?

2 - On illegal immigrants, the Senate has okayed a plan to build a 370-mile section of fence and the deployment of troops on the southwest border. Do you think this will help resolve the issue?

3 - Much press is given to the plummeting approval ratings for President Bush. His wife said such polls are meaningless. Has your view of the President, whether you voted for him or not, changed in a positive or negative direction since he took office?

4 - The state is considering a statewide increase to the minimum wage to $6.15, Good idea or not??

5 - Of all the movies hyped for release for summer, have you said, "Oh I got to see that one!" and which one is it (if any)?

Thanks. Tried to keep this one very short and simple. Have at it!

Computer Cookies

I was running one of those spyware programs on the computer today and I get this incredible warning about a dangerous amount of cookies lodged deep within the basic structure of my operating systems.

I cautiously explored the dangerous areas noted and much to my surprise, indeed I did find a huge collection of cookies.

Be very afraid.

Pimp Out Your Teeth On MTV

MTV is dead and empty as a place for music. I've noticed it and now so have much younger folk than I. Just read some of the thoughts of a high school sophomore.

"MTV is everything it wasn't born to be. It was born to be a music channel. It is now a reality-TV safe haven. It's a pathetic excuse for a music channel.

Let's change the name to the more appropriate "BTV"--Bad Reality Television."

It became pretty obvious during the late 80s and 90s that the M stood for Marketing, and at that, it's been most successful. That idea hit the other day when, coming back from Georgia, I made a stop in Cleveland, TN at a fast food place. (Not my choice, but my mom's.) Anyway, I talked to this black kid who worked there and he tried to respond, but he had a tough time talking around his silver teeth grill.

We even have a teeth grill shop in Morristown. How modern. Sorry, make that "grillz". No shizzle, dizzle.

I don't even see/hear decent videos or music on M2 or any of their variants. In the homemade world of YouTube, there are better videos, more of them and lots of classics too. Like this astonishing trio of Derek and the Dominoes, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.

TN Suit Over Phones Database

One Tennessee resident has filed a suit against phone giant Bell South over their actions of providing phone information to the NSA. However, despite published reports, phone companies claim they have not provided any such info the the NSA. And to make this trail more twisty, the White House, which had claimed no such massive database in the NSA from phone records, has now decided now to inform congressional committees about the NSA domestic spying programs after congress invoked the always-spooky and murky maze of the 1947 National Security Act.

Oooooooh, I'm getting dizzy from all the spin. "Press one if you want to file suit, press two if you need a non-denial denial, press three if you're a reporter whose sources were outed, press three if you need a White House plumber, press four if you want to change the topic to illegal immigration and if you'd prefer to talk to a real person then hang up and go outside and one of our agents will meet you in the park by the old cannon. Your code phrase is "The chair is against the wall."

Both Bell South and Verizon claim they are not working with the NSA, though AT and T said they did work with law enforcement they avoided mention of the NSA. Since companies will track cell phone transactions and sell them to anyone, why all this secret investigation? Seems that all you need is a.) some cash and with the economy all good, no prob, or b.) a phone company employee who will provide the info on the sly so the company can claim no "official" action was taken.

Quick, which 1970s movie told the story of the phone company conspiracy behind a plot to take over the world and the assassination of a president??? Anyone?? Bueller? .... No? It's here.Time to put my aluminum hat back on!!

TN Death Penalty Debate

Inmate Sedley Alley, convicted of the 1985 murder of 19-year-old Suzanne Collins, is awaiting word from the state about whether or not his execution will take place Wednesday. The debate over his case in general and specific, as well as arguments from the tcask blog, are flying fast - you can view some of the state's blogosphere discussion via Nashville Is Talking.

The state Board of Probation and Parole has urged the governor to allow for a reprieve until some new DNA evidence is reviewed, a break for Ally and his decades-long appeals. The crime is plainly horrifying - the young girl was abducted, beaten, raped and impaled on a stick that had also been used to rape her. I can't imagine the grief and pain of her family and friends.

Also disgusting to me is use of the issue in the political world - but since this is a government-sanctioned process, politics rolls into the mix. Shame on those who use this tragedy to paint a political picture.

I've had friends whose parent died violently and the criminal convicted was not executed. I often saw and heard the rage and sorrow the event left behind. I know that nothing could have changed the emotional turmoil of that family. They were hurt in a way that couldn't be repaired. It was awful to see the damage done.

The endless appeals are in place for a reason - protection of a possibly innocent person. If guilt is clear and obvious 9 times out of 10, does that mean we, as a state and a people, sanction the death of that one innocent person?

I've yet to be shown in any way that the death penalty deters murder. And I know that just as a murderer can steal a life, a government - any government - can also make errors and take innocent lives too. Which means I'm opposed to the death penalty.

But we all should consider this issue since we, as a state, condone the death penalty. And the comments mentioned above merit much debate and reflection.

UPDATE: via The Tennessean ---Just eight hours before his appointed execution time, Sedley Alley was granted a reprieve by Gov. Phil Bredesen. The 15-day postponement would allow time for Alley to press his case in state court to get DNA testing done that could clear him.

Bredesen said in a statement issued shortly after 5 p.m. today that he believes Alley is guilty and issued the reprieve "reluctantly."

Alley’s attorneys said they are disappointed in the turn of events. They had hoped the governor would follow the parole board’s recommendation to order DNA testing be done.

The extra days, however, will permit Alley to pursue his petitions with the U.S. Supreme Court, said Kelley Henry, an assistant federal public defender representing Alley.

Voting Machines and Monkey-Eating Bears

A report finds it a bit too easy to hack into Diebold's electronic voting equipment, which the company says is no cause for alarm - that's the way the system was meant to function. The report reveals that a "malicious" person could add programming code which could lie dormant until needed - years, possibly. No - really? Voter fraud in the good ole U.S. of A.?

"One of them, however, seems to enable a malicious person to compromise the equipment even years before actually using the exploit, possibly leaving the voting terminal incurably compromised. These architectural defects are not in the election-processing system itself. However, they compromise the underlying platform and therefore cast a serious question over the integrity of the vote. These exploits can be used to affect the trustworthiness of the system or to selectively disenfranchise groups of voters through denial of service."

Darn those "malicious" people!!

You can access the full report from Black Box Voting via this link to PC World, where a Diebold spokesman says this issue is all in how you look at it:

"What they're proposing as a vulnerability is actually a functionality of the system," said spokesman David Bear. "Instead of recognizing the advantages of the technology, we keep ringing up 'what if' scenarios that serve no purpose other than to confuse and in some instances frighten voters."

Nevertheless, Diebold plans to address the issue in an upcoming version of the product, which will use cryptographic keys to ensure that only authorized software is installed on the machine, Bear said. He could not say when this feature would be added, but said that it could be available in time for the November 7 general election in the U.S."

Nothing to see here - just move along.

Now here's where all that time I spent reading science-fiction and fact becomes useful - computerized systems can be hacked by outsiders or insiders. It's sort of the nature of the beast - codewriters can change code to fit so a desired outcome is achieved.

It makes me think of a story I saw today, where visitors went to see "wild animals" at a Dutch Zoo - and my God, the animals were wild! Bears ate a monkey! And people saw it! Just too real a wildlife experience for ticket-buyers, I suppose

And problems with voting machines and memory cards were quite evident in the 2000 presidential election, as Black Box voting reported years ago and other news organizations reported in 2000. If you're like me, reading this account of Diebold's own memos about voter fraud might give you a headache.

You've been warned.

Just Record Everyone and Everything Maybe That'll Help

Since ABC news and their reporters have been told their phones are being tapped, recorded and stored in a database, it's Deja Vu time. The taps are not in search of terrorists, but in search for "leaks" of White House activities and policies. Welcome to another seige-mentality and the ever-reliable "plumbers" -- perhaps it's the inevitable mindset of group of wartime leaders whose military strategies can't seem to find the boat that actually takes them to the Port of Mission Accomplished.

Perhaps the Us vs.Them philosophy only allows for the inevitable paranoia even here within our own country, where an act of protest is ruled an act of "mental instability". Don't think that could happen? Ask Carol Fisher, who was forced into a psych unit by a judge just for daring to express a non-White House opinion. (Hey, we all have enemies lists ... don't we??)

Or maybe ABC shouldn't be reporting this, or this or this.

Even those in charge of warrentless domestic spying knew two years ago an investigation was inevitable, why else hire someone to train NSA workers about answering questions during a Congressional investigation into what the agency had been doing.

So they brought back the one person who had first-hand experience in just such matters:

"[Joseph] Tomba has a unique perspective on the subject. On Feb. 25, 1976, the West Virginia-born engineer became the first, and so far the only, NSA employee subpoenaed by Congress for his role in a domestic surveillance program. And because he was a less-than-cooperative witness before a House Government Operations subcommittee, he also became the only NSA employee to be recommended for a citation for contempt of Congress. The lack of cooperation wasn’t entirely his idea. As part of a sweeping assertion of executive privilege by President Gerald Ford, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered Tomba not to answer legislators’ questions, particularly those about Project Shamrock, under which NSA had spent the previous three decades intercepting almost all outgoing U.S. telegram traffic.

So we've all been here before. But that doesn't mean we should assume this is normal governmental attitudes or policies. It isn't. And thinking that it is makes it worse.

Plop - I Mean Pop Culture Roundup

So many, many joke present themselves when you mention that Paris Hilton is a video game. But the best one so far is that she dosen't know the name of it, despite making sure to hit the E3 show to promote it. The again, those who consume all things Hilton don't care what it's called do they?

The info is here, at a web site for snarky people. The even have a real life meeting of the famously failed Letterman-at-the-Oscars joke of "Oprah ... Uma ... Uma ... Oprah."

A very funny interview with actor Tom Hanks and the upcoming "DaVinci Code" hype was tackled with much style on the NPR game show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" which you can listen to here. I liked it when Roy Blount Jr asked Hanks "Did you deal directly to Satan or did His People talk to Your People?"

Also worth noting was a fine round of jokes about Drinking Monkeys and Marlon Brando's pants.

Students Ask Candidates About Patriot Act

The kids in the local schools know something about our nation and it's Constitution, and they have other smarts too, of course. But I was most happy the first question they brought before GOP candidates running for congress was about the Bill of Rights and concerns that the Patriot Act violates those standards.

"We studied the Bill of Rights, and it says we have the right of protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Do you think that parts of the Patriot Act violate that right? Why or why not, and what do you think should be done differently?”

The 4th Ammendment also says such searches require a court-issed warrant, too. According to the report in the Greeneville Sun, here's how the candidates asked that question responded and I'm not very surprised by their answers:

"Richard Roberts, a Greeneville attorney and businessman, said he does not think this right is violated by the Patriot Act, and noted that the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to ensure its passage, and its protections are very important.

“The Patriot Act was a response to an attack,” Roberts said, mentioning the attacks on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001, “and was a logical response to that threat.”

Of national concern today, Roberts said, is Americans’ disclosing information about the secrecy of telecommunications and wire fund transfers. “If we have questions about the appropriateness of a wiretap,” the law calls for having a judge look into the matter, he said.

Dr. Phil Roe, vice mayor of Johnson City and an obstetrician/gynecologist, said privacy is “a huge issue” in medicine, but the Constitution asks the president to see to the country’s security.

Roe said bioterrorism threats from “scary viruses” are something the Patriot Act can and should address, and he said he agreed with Roberts “completely. When people break the law, they should be punished.”

Retired federal prosecutor Dan Smith, of Johnson City, noted that the 4th Amendment does give the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, “but the emphasis is on ‘unreasonable,’” Smith said.

He said talk of “illegal wiretaps — that’s the liberal media saying it’s illegal.” Smith said he sees nothing improper about listening in to telephone calls from other countries to known or suspected terrorists."

No surprise to me the GOP sees Fear as motivation and reason enough to violate the Amendmment, and that the President's power to override courts and be the ultimate "decider".

It's a key element to the Bush presidency - he (and many of his supporters) - simply prefer a single "decider" to determine which laws are viable and which need only Presidential interpretation. Oh, and it's all the "liberal media's" fault that anyone has doubts about the need to create and store a massive databse of phone conversations.

Some argue that Congress gave him that authority after 9-11 and I'm happy the kids at least know to raise the question.

The entire article shows how much the candidates are following the president's key talking points on Iraq and the loss of jobs to overseas development and other issues.

If We'd Had Six Years of Al Gore

You know he enjoyed this. So did I.

Halliburton Solves Global Warming

An astonishing Truth is revealed, the problem of Global Warming has been resolved thanks to a simple but high-tech Halliburton survivial suit - check out the incredible pictures and this astonishing speech:

"An advanced new technology will keep corporate managers safe even when climate change makes life as we know it impossible."

"The SurvivaBall is designed to protect the corporate manager no matter what Mother Nature throws his or her way," said Fred Wolf, a Halliburton representative who spoke today at the Catastrophic Loss conference held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amelia Island, Florida. "This technology is the only rational response to abrupt climate change," he said to an attentive and appreciative audience."
......
" The conference attendees peppered the duo with questions. One asked how the device would fare against terrorism, another whether the array of embedded technologies might make the unit too cumbersome; a third brought up the issue of the unit's cost feasibility. Wolf and Goody assured the audience that these problems and others were being addressed. "The SurvivaBall builds on Halliburton's reputation as a disaster and conflict industry innovator," said Wolf. "Just as the Black Plague led to the Renaissance and the Great Deluge gave Noah a monopoly of the animals, so tomorrow's catastrophes could well lead to good - and industry must be ready to seize that good."

Oh wait --- it's the Yes Men.

Once again they prove that comedy and satire cut to the heart of absurdity in the corporate and government mindset. Just as Steven Colbert did so recently. And these guys have shown just how gullible the working world can be, putting forth the outrageous and insane in a polished 3-peice suit and the ideas gain acceptance. Their movie is amazing, too.

Is what they do legal? They say, so far, so good!

Camera Obscura - It Waits, Futurama, Blade, 400 Blows

Friday arrives and I have a special sneak preview of a new horror movie from Anchor Bay Entertainment written by Richard Christian Matheson and prolific producer Stephen J. Cannell, along with a stack of great news about the return of the perfect sci-fi comedy series "Futurama" and much more, so read, on read on.

Producer Cannell has made many notable additions to TV and film, with shows like "The Rockford Files", "Baretta," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "The A-team" - tons, people, truly. He teams with another prolific writer and creator Richard Christian Matheson, whose dad, also a Richard, help define the horror and sci-fi genres with his work on "Twilight Zone" and his book "I Am Legend."


The movie, "It Waits" concerns a babe in the woods - the babe being Cerina Vincent - the prettiest park ranger I've ever seen. She'd make Yogi Bear give up the hunt for a pick-a-nic basket and start spraying on Axe. She's been a regular on "C.S.I.", and made a eye-popping student named "Areola" in "Not Another Teen Movie" as well as another cult horror favorite "Cabin Fever."

Vincent is a not what she seems here, mild-mannered park ranger - she's really hiding out from tragedy and soaking herself with vodka, sharing conversations and remorse with a talking parrot in a remote ranger station. The location shooting, in Canada is truly gorgeous, and DVD extras reveal they shot this an amazing 20 day timeframe. It's her guilt and her secrets that are drawing the attention of a demon spirit, which is based on Native American mythology. The creature is a great piece of work and not an all CGI monster. Like the movie, It is an old-fashioned monster suit, expertly done. And as in so many old classics, it's the Id inside Vincent's character that is bringing out some nasty death and dismemberment.

She gets some help (but more guilt) from her doomed boyfriend-ranger, played by Dominic Zamprogna ("Battlestar Galactica"). However, everyone in the movie is fodder for the monster, who throws around corpses and makes grim toys of the bodies attempting to terrify and tease Vincent.

The movie is a good guide for making the most of every shooting day, no doubt. For longtime horror consumers, this may seem too familiar, but for newbies and novices, this is a good beginner flick. Anchor Bay has an impressive catalog of horror, anime and other classics and TV and is ever growing. Big thanks to them and the folks at M80-Teams for allowing me to view "It Waits" and tell you about it. Check out the movie site and trailer here, where you can also order a copy.

Fans of Matheson also got news this week that a show he wrote for "Knight Rider" is getting the big screen treatment. Never underestimate the power of David Hasselhoff. His cameo-bit in the "Spongebob Squarepants" movie was brilliant.

Fans worldwide too have brought more life to the deeply underrated and hilarious world of "Futurama". Fox dumped this show from "The Simpsons" creator after four seasons, and never knew what to make of the show or how to promote it. Thanks to the Cartoon Network's reruns on Adult Swim, creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen are making 4 DVD movies and possibly even new episodes for broadcast. IGN has an interview with Groening here, all about the vast comedy universe they made and the stories they never got to tell.

The comedy is layered on so thick it takes multiple viewings to catch all the jokes. And come on, where else could you see an effort to save the world from destruction with real-life performances from Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, and Nichelle Nichols? I never miss an episode.

Also set to hit your TV set next month is the new vampire show based on the Marvel comics and movies character "Blade." Set to debut on Spike TV after some wrangling with writer/director David Goyer, it will be interesting to see if they can make this work. I've liked the movies (well -- the last one was more comedy than vampy). Goyer meanwhile is back working on comic book adaptions, writing a new "Batman" script and one for "Flash." Check out scenes from the new TV series of "Blade" here. You might also want to check out one of Goyer's first screenplays, an underrated adaption of Robert Heinlein's "The Puppet Masters" - a decent adaption of the Heinlein tale which was used for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and countless others.

Finally, this one has been on my list of Best Movies Ever since I saw it and it remains on the list today. It's the very first film from Francois Truffaut, "The 400 Blows", out in a brand new DVD with a nice low price and new commentary and a crisp new transfer. The story of adolescent Antoine Doinel is as current today as when it was made in the late 1950s. He's a smart kid, bored with school and mostly left on his own by parents and other authorities, more out of simple lack of attention than outright abuse. He drifts through the city and into petty crime, running away from home rather than accept the boring and unhappy views of life offered by his parents or society in general. What he finds is that being on your own is harsh too. I've always liked the simple approach of the film - slightly disengaged, not sentimental - a brilliantly composed story of alienation and dissatisfaction.

Oh and remember how much you didn't like "Mission: Impossible 3" when you shelled out the ten bucks to see it last weekend? Well, the new remake of "Poseidon" will make you feel the same way if you chunk out ten more bucks for it.

You've got more choices! I just gave ya a stack of 'em!

Porn Preferred to "DaVinci Code"

I overheard this discussion today between some cashiers at the local Mega-Mart, as one was telling the other about the fury and indignation of a customer because the store had copies of "The DaVinci Code" for sale in the store.

#1 - He would not stop complaining, demanded to see the manager over this DaVinci book. He said it was the most offensive thing he'd ever seen in public.

#2 - He said that?

#1 - He did. It didn't stop him from buying two microwaves, though. Said I was going to Hell and so was everyone in the store.

#2 - He said that?

#1 - He did. He was all tore up.

#2 - It was about a book? What book? I ain't never heard of it.

#1 - He would not let it go. Said he would rather his child be able to see stacks of pornography magazines out on display. Said that would be better for his boy.

#2 - He wants to see porn?

#1 - That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. Said his whole church was mad. I can't believe what he said. He wants he boy to see books of ... butts and stuff ... not a book of fiction.

#2 - He's crazy!

#1 - He is.

GOP Candidates Face Students Tonite

A public forum for Republican candidates seeking the 1st Congressional office will meet with local students first, then appear in a public forum at around 6:45 pm. The candidates will take questions from students in Hamblen County from middle through high school in history and civics classes, as moderated by the Director of Schools. The public can listen in to the questioning of candidates who seek the seat of the Congressman Bill Jenkins, who announced he is not seeking re-election to Congress.

Candidates scheduled to appear include Larry Waters, David Davis, John J. Grose, Richard Roberts, Peggy Barnett, Richard Venable, Vance Cheek, Phil Roe, and Dan Smith.

Larry Waters is former Sevier County Mayor, David Davis is a state representative, Richard Roberts is an attorney and former staffer for Howard Baker, Peggy Barnett is a Family Nurse Practitioner, Richard Venable is Sullivan County Mayor, Vance Cheek is former mayor of Johnson City, Commissioner, East Tennessee Claims and is a member of the East TN Commission, Phil Roe is a Johnson City Commissioner and currently Vice-Mayor.

These 9 of the 13 GOP candidates are hoping to face the winner of the Democrat Primary which currently stands at four candidates, and one independent has also announced a candidacy, Green Party candidate Robert Smith. (NOTE: Congressional Quarterly reports 21 candidates, and has a recent breakdown on some of their fundraising efforts thru March.)

The nine will meet with the students in "meet and greet" with the students at around 5:30, according to the Young Republicans group organizing the event, and the public forum will be held in the auditorium of West High School.

(It should be noted times of the event reported on the Hamblen GOP web site are not those announced in the local paper, however, if the public arrives between 6:30 and 7 pm, they should be able to find seats and watch the event.)

On Politics and The Two Party System

I was kind of amazed that Kleinheider at Volunteer Voters actually blurbed a comment I made. It's been odd to see links to this page via the likes of Poor Hobbs and comments from The Can't Spell Representative. I appreciate any and all readership.

However.

I'm pretty certain that the number of people blogging who tackle the real and ugly state of politics today outside of the two party system have not only captured the national mood, they have also shamed the mass media for utterly failing at their job. Some from within the system also get it right.

And then I read the following quote from Thomas Jefferson, and I'm forced to re-think many ideas.

"Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves. Call them, therefore, Liberals and Serviles, Jacobins and Ultras, Whigs and Tories, Republicans and Federalists, Aristocrats and Democrats, or by whatever name you please, they are the same parties still and pursue the same object. The last one of Aristocrats and Democrats is the true one expressing the essence of all." --Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee, 1824.

From Shoeless Joe to Barry Bonds - The Bittersweet Myth of Baseball

Baseball in America is at an historic moment as Barry Bonds nears the magic number of home runs made famous by Babe Ruth and surpassed by Hank Aaron. But as always with the game, the Glory rides with some Despair. This is more than a game - this is personal. This game is different from other sports because it is welded into the history of uniquely American ideals. Lewis and Clark stopped to play some baseball on their monumental journey to map out the nation. The poetry of Whitman and Frost took on the game. Box scores were printed alongside the news stories of Sherman's March.

It is a game filled with myths of innocence and tragedy, of the Everyman and the Capitalist, and the current rage-filled debate about Barry Bonds continues a tradition of scandal and history.

Perhaps it's because it arrives with Spring and the anticipation of leisure days ahead. I can't quote you the latest stats on a certain team, but when the season is upon us, it offers an immense pleasure to have the sounds of the game, either by radio or TV, as I drift thru the ever-lengthening days. I can become intensely linked to a game or let it simply fill the background with the sounds of a distant stadium, that unassailable crack of a bat and the roars or disdain from the crowd.

It's got hot dogs and beer and the language of the game itself is part of the story of American success and failure. George Carlin famously joked that baseball was far different from football. In football your aim is to reach the End Zone. In baseball, the aim is to just Go Home.

Baseball columnist Thomas Boswell once wrote of the game:

"Born to an age where horror has become commonplace, where tragedy has, by monotonous repetition, become a parody of sorrow, we need to fence off a few places where humans try to be fair, where skill has some hope of reward, where absurdity has a harder time than usual getting a ticket."

The names of the legends all have been tarnished here and there, Shoeless Joe Jackson, part of the World Series of 1919 scandal, when allegations of gambling and fixing the game brought national outrage, remains a hero. The notoriously named Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis doled out lifetime bans for Joe and seven of his teammates, in an effort to send out a "no-tolerance message" about gambling in baseball. Despite having a lifetime batting average of .356, Shoeless Joe waits like the mythic outsider at the gates of the Hall of Fame, the fans forever pleading for entry. Of course, his official website also has plenty of ways to get your vote, your sympathy, and your money as you buy from the corporate romanticism.

Similar battles rage for Pete Rose, for the steroid allegations against Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds. Even the tragic innocence of player Lou Gehrig has found fame for baseball and for a disease that carries his name.

Like some tale written by Homer, like Odysseus wandering years searching for home, Baseball brings heroes and heartbreak together in tales that continue to be told and made right before our very eyes.

I played Little League ball way back when - it was easy to join a team in a town so small they had to widen the road to paint a white stripe down the middle. I wasn't very good at the game and it wasn't until playing intramural softball in college someone actually told me how to swing the bat and move my body to make a hit. I was still a bad player.

But forever etched in my mind are those days of the Little League in a dinky park with buckeled board benches and sagging fences. There is this smell of Coca-Cola and ice dribbled into patchy red sand and the sweet scent of new-mown grass, the aromas of chewing tobacco from the umpire who spat like a camel in the Sahara, the steamy and seamy aroma of sweaty beer from drunken parents who often yelled insults at their own children.

None of us care about the adults. We liked the game. We had uniforms. If we were lucky to snag a ball and make a double play or get that thudding shudder in our shoulders when we smacked the ball out of the infield, our hearts galloped like giant horses of mythology, creatures reaching for Glory and History. If we just plain lost the game, we were sad for a little while, but the attention span of a child quickly found some other distraction. On the field, we were all equals, except maybe for one or two boys who we all knew had real honest-to-pete Talent. And most always, those guys were never snobs about it.

We all had a chance.

Bonds nearly pegged home run 714 last night, and the news wasn't exactly great. But the real number is Hank Aaron's 755 home runs.

And for many spring and summer days and nights for many years to come, the Chance is there.

The Lie About MPG

Thanks to the rules as written, those numbers on a new car indicating gas mileage are the result of never actually driving on a road.

I had wondered about this, just how the car makers and marketers arrived at their numbers. The law allows for vehicles to be placed on a treadmill - which means once the vehicle actually hits the roads, and traffic, and stop lights -- well, in a typical scenario, the actual mileage was usually half of what the sticker said.

Half.

Again, its the rule set in the 1970s by the government that allows for no actual driving conditions to be tested to obtain mileage. The information about real conditions comes from tests conducted by Consumer Reports.

"For example, Chrysler says the four-wheel drive diesel version of the Jeep Liberty gets 22 mpg in the city. Consumer Reports tested it and found it got more like 11 mpg.

Honda claims its hybrid Civic sedan gets 48 mpg in the city. Consumer Reports found it only gets 26 mpg -- a 46 percent difference.

Chevy's Trailblazer EXT four-wheel drive is supposed to get 15 mpg in the city. For Consumer Reports, it was 9 mpg."

Read more here.

I Was Wrong

At times I'm forced to eat my words - guess what time it is? Yep. Time to eat 'em up.

After I had expressed grave doubts about voter turnout in the county-wide elections, predicting 15% or less in turnout. However the actual numbers are certainly higher than I expected. According to election officials, they estimate 25% of registered voters took part - of course that also means 75% did not. (And also the problems I noted in the April 10th post are, I think, likely to lead to tax increases - and if not, then I'll dine on my words at the appropriate time.)

The election was largely a primary race for numerous Republican candidates, but since some winners, such as newly elected Sheriff Esco Jarnigan faces no opponents in August, then he is the winner. Similar wins were also reported.

I've heard rumors there may be one or two independent candidates on the ballot, but running as an independent is a momentous task.

Regardless, I stand corrected. Now if the other 75% could find the motivation to vote.

Eminent Domain Bill Provides Little Change

The state's Senate has unanimously passed a new resolution regarding eminent domain, but is it anywhere close to the improvement needed? One notable change was providing property holders an extra 25 days to challenge condemnation, making for a grand total of 30 days to file a challenge. Yet, of all the various versions of the bill put forward, this version is the least restrictive in terms of limits on eminent domain.

However, one section seems to gut the entire idea of restrictions or reforms that were prompted nationwide over the Supreme Court's Kelo decision.

"This bill also permits land acquired by eminent domain to be sold, leased, or otherwise transferred to another public or quasi-public entity, or to a private person, corporation, or other entity, so long as the transferring entity receives at least fair market value for the land."

That looks to me like a fairly enormous gap whereby government can take the property, following any number of "new" rules, and then sell the land to private developers anyway as long as they get a good price for the land.

The bill is listed under HB3450/SB3296 on the state General Assembly site.

Another resource for grassroots efforts to track how each state is reviewing the issue is Castle Coalition and is loaded with news and information.

County Officer Indicted for TennCare Fraud

In Carroll County, the Register of Deeds was indicted on two counts of TennCare fraud, according to the state. The sixty-two year old Judy Baker was scheduled for arraignment today, but thru her attorney waived the reading of the indictment and right to be present at that reading.

The report states that Baker:

" ...while acting as the power of attorney for Ruth D. McKenzie, Baker committed theft of services and TennCare fraud by intentionally not reporting a transfer of property that would have rendered the McKenzie ineligible for TennCare. The value of the TennCare medical benefits unlawfully obtained was more than $10,000 but less than $60,000.

'“We are finding individuals from all walks of life abusing TennCare and we'’ll seek charges against them regardless of their community stature,'” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. '“We have a zero tolerance policy, and thatÂ’s what it takes to protect the integrity of the TennCare program.'"”

Meanwhile in Middle TN, in an unrelated case, another six people were charged with TennCare fraud, ranging from selling prescription drugs to refusing health care insurance offered via a school system's insurance plan and taking TennCare instead.

Anyone can report TennCare Fraud by calling toll free 1-800-443-3982.

Polled and Appalled

If we were to place end to end all the main political scandals termed "gates", we'd already have an expanse vast enough to blockade the southwest border. The one difference between now and say the political world of the mid-1800s until Watergate, the press just used the word scandal, leaving the phrase "teapot dome" for a footnote in history.

Far too often when I watch speeches via C-Span or on the Talking Head Sunday Morning/Cable News'orama/Blog'oblather, what I hear is "those dang Democrats" or "those dang Republicans", which in reality translates to childish sniping. No resolutions occur, or at best corporations and lobbyists create policies that serve their interests and public interest is not a concern. Watching and reading the recent "debates" about U.S. Energy Policies, oil companies and automakers, it's like watching reruns of the mid 1970s. (Or maybe the faux newsreel at the beginning of "Road Warrior"

An April report from The Pew Research Center notes that while the public opinion of the President continues to plummet, the public has an even lower opinion of our Congress. As an independent, I still wait for the voters (who continue to participate in lower and lower numbers) devise a way out of the empty system of either one party or another. The best measure of that mood tends in recent history to appear as an "Anti-Incumbent Mood" which does zero to find resolution to a multitude of issues.

Newscoma posted recently about the problems of the no-show voters. I have no answers to that issue.

However, the Pew study did offer an interesting snapshot of the words people associate with each party, as shown in this graph. Please note that the numbers next to the words indicate the number of people who selected those words and are not percentages, though they well could be.

As always, the best advice I can offer those who seek answers, seek them outside the realm of politics and seek them within what you can do.

Stripper Dolls For Kids??

I found this via Rachel (a former Morristown resident). Seems the Hasbro toy company is preparing to sell dolls based on the neo-burlesque stars of the Pussycat Dolls, aimed at the six to nine year old market for li'l girls. I suppose since this group of new-strippers also are making music CDs then why not more product tie-ins with the Sex Pistols O.D. Kit Slam Dance Playset, or the Gundown the Rappers Bling Shoot Out? Would a rational parent seriously want to provide My Little Stripper Dolls for your six-year old girls? (Maybe Hasbro could call it Skanky and sell it alongside Slinkys!)

She also notes the super creepy thousands of dollars folks spend on life-size "Real Dolls", which looks like training kits for serial killers and sadists.

Will Higher Tax Collections Keep Local Increases Down?

An interesting post at etricities notes that numerous east and southeast TN counties have been raking in taxes far ahead of last year. Apparent ever-rising needs in government operations will certainly get a boost, but will it be enough to halt plans to increase local property tax rates?

The statewide breakdown is here. Collections are measured in almost every level of taxation and overall, increases are fairly constant.

Django and Grappelli Red Hot

A reader requested a sample of the music of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and this clip of his famous quintet dates from about 1945, when all the voice-overs for newsreels spoke a staccato delivery as if it were the most important breaking news story of the day.

Django and violinist Stephane Grappelli created something new which remains utterly entertaining today. Django helped to create the formation of a lead guitarist backed by rhythm guitarists and bass, and Stephane's violin just dance around all the tunes. The music was often kinda bebop-ish, and a little melancholy too.

One web bio reports that he could neither read nor write, but in 1928 he was greatly injured in a fire, his right side from knee to waist were badly burned and doctors wanted to amputate his leg. Django said no, and struggled to recover. Also, his left hand was nearly useless, but during an 18-month recover, he mastered the use of the mobility of his two non-damaged fingers and created a unique style that is often imitated. Not being able to read music, he relied on improvisation, vital to modern jazz. In 1934 his Quintet of Jazz at the Hot Club in France made him world famous.

Grappelli went on after Django's death in the late 1950s, playing with the likes of Paul Simon, Jean Luc Ponty, and a he also provided some session work on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," which is nearly impossible to hear on that tune and he wasn't given album credit.

Finding CDs today is simple, look for ones that include "Limehouse Blues," "Moonglow", "I've Had My Moments," and "Nocturne".

A curious movie loaded with his music "B. Monkey" also features Asia Argento, but Django's music provides the best part of the film. The clip below is via YouTube.

Camera Obscura - A Cruise Bomb, Hostel and an Iguana's Night

Yet another dose of some classic movies worth viewing, some DVD treasures and some classic Hollywood nonsense for this Friday.

As testament to the Marketing Machine that is Tom Cruise, he was able to keep news of a new baby, a new movie and the arrival of JJ Abrams version of "Mission:Impossible 3" all front and center in the news. Much less press was given to the "M:I3" promotional stunt that brought out L.A. bomb squads to defuse what appeared to be bombs attatched to newspaper racks. Sleek black boxes were meant to play the theme music of the movie and "transform the everyday experience into an extraordinary mission". However, reports say the boxes were poorly made and attached, alarming many in the city to call emergency officials after seeing black boxes with wires hanging out throughout the city. Does this predict a "bomb" is about to hit the box office? The focus of the new movie is torture and love (something Cruise fans can't seem to get enough of), but it's bound to bring in huge sales this weekend.

Hollywood also turns it's attention to Tennessee yet again with a new movie based on the chilling accounts of the Bell Witch in the movie "An American Haunting", a story that's been knocking around like a true poltergeist for over 100 years. I remember when, around 5th grade, our teacher read us excerpts over several days from one of the more historical accounts of the hauntings from the so-called "Red Book" edition first printed in 1961 with that lurid colored cover. The book scared the bejesus out of all of us in the class, due to some historical facts and a rather remarkable reading skill of our teacher at the time.

You can read the entire "Red Book" edition online here. It has it's dry spots, but the endless accounts from all involved have made the tale memorable for generations.

Reviews of the movie are pretty bad at this point, and underscoring that is that the KNS movie writer (note I don't say critic) Betsy Pickle really thought it was good. An indication of the mediocrity likely in the movie is that director Courtney Solomon has so far given us two truly awful movies based on the "Dungeons and Dragons" role-playing game.

And since we're here at the Horror Movie Moment of today's post, I've been contacted by the folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment about an upcoming DVD release of a horror story co-written by Christian Matheson called "It Waits." I told them "I'd Wait" until I got a screener before offering a review.

Also this week I watched the uncut DVD edition of "Hostel", a story of a couple of Ugly Americans on a hedonistic tour of Europe, searching for limitless sex and drugs and finding that Europe is not feeling too kindly toward such decadent Americans. Back in the old days when some friends and I would gather to share movies we had found that would be a bit surprising or unknown to most, this movie falls into the category of a "Clear-The-Room-Movie." It is relentlessly gruesome and sadistic, and I kept wondering if writer/director Eli Roth ("Cabin Fever") was offering comments on the concepts of "rendition" and "secret prisons". It is as blunt as a chunk of rebar upside your head, and the "hero" of the movie decides to repay brutality with brutality. And to be honest, I had wished for a little more than a high-dollar "Dr. Butcher, M.D."

For some far better film journeys, it's worth noting that the 20th Anniversary season of PBS' "American Masters" series returns this Wednesday with an in-depth look at director John Ford and actor John Wayne and the 14 films they made together. Simply put - their films are among the best America made. Period. And their work did much to define the self-assessment of America's role in the modern world.

Finally, it is with much anticipation I await the upcoming re-mastered DVD release of the 1964 John Huston film of Tennessee Williams' "Night of the Iguana".


The movie has a blistering hilarious scene tinged with despair as The Rev.Dr. T. Laurence Shannon (played by Richard Burton at the top of his game) utterly breaks down mid-sermon and chases his congregation from the church. His ministerial career thus ended, he flees to the tropics acting as tour guide for a group from a Christian College, a collection of dim-witted spinsters and one very over-sexed girl (one of a handful of eye-popping sensual performances from actress Sue Lyon. A scene where Shannon attempts to resist her temptations by walking barefoot on glass is most memorable).

The bus, like Shannon, breaks down near Puerto Vallarta, where Shannon finds yet another woman, this one from his past, and again offering a terrific performance by Ava Gardner. Rumors at the time maintain that Burton's new wife, Elizabeth Taylor, stayed on set to keep Burton from romancing all the other women there.

However, the man in control of this movie is John Huston, who, as filming began, actually gave the actors loaded derringers, each containing bullets with the names of other castmembers engraved upon them. I can almost hear the raspy but powerfully booming voice of Huston telling the cast: "You may all decide to shoot and kill each other if your passions rise to unbearable heights. But rest assured, I will kill each of you with my bare hands should you be unable or unwilling to give me what I want when the cameras roll, you dear dumb children."

Huston never made films to meet Hollywood's expectations or pace them like a breathless summer blockbuster. He made movies with a steady, sure and appropriate pace, a master storyteller who takes the audience through smartly-written scripts, carefully composed scenes and explored the psychological dramas that offers characters of realism, depth and pure poetry.

(NOTE: for Wintermute - I'll get that Django Reinhardt clip posted over the weekend.)

Ouch!!

One of many reaction shots as Steve Colbert spoke at the recent press dinner. Many more here.

Marvel Comics as WMDs and The Real Star Wars

Geekish fanboy here, with some interesting news about Marvel and some great news that the original "Star Wars" trilogy is headed to DVD this fall.

In the world of comics, politics has often a major player, as superhumans battled Nazis in the 40s and the occassional commie in the 50s and 60s, and DC Comics announced recently that Batman was going after Osama Bin Laden. But today Marvel is releasing a series called "Civil War" in which crusaders such as Captain America are informed by President Bush they must be registered as Weapons of Mass Destruction or face charges of being federal fugitives. Iron Man is ok with it, but Cap'n America isn't. Sounds like Marvel has gone all Hardball. Will Stephen Colbert don tights and cape and make snarky comments?

Marvel Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada says:

"We need to present both sides' arguments, both sides of the coin, as fairly and as accurately as possible, and really let the readers make their own decision Marvel readers come in all shapes and sizes, and we speak to so many different people, different demographics. It's unfair for us to make this our bully pulpit and sit there and say, 'This bad. That good."

Revisting and revising iconic American entertainment is pretty standard, and as a recent editorial noted, the benefits of reading offer readers the chance to explore and examine the world around them, to encourage the individual to think for themselves.

And never underestimate the might and strength of stereotypical "those durned heathen funny-book readers" and rabid fans of iconic works in all forms of media. Which leads to some great news.

Reports today indicate yet another DVD set of the original "Star Wars" trilogy is slated for release in September which will include the original theatrical versions of each of the movies. The fans demanded it. Looks like the Force is with them. I admit to not buying any of the DVDs now available in hopes that the movies I fell in love with in the theatre might one day make it into my own hot little hands.

Geekish fanboy, signing off.

Bebop

It's May. The sun is still up and warm breezes drift through the house. I took a drive in the truck to Knox-vegas the other day with this 75 pound pit bull named Sophie who is as mild mannered as a butterfly. We had the windows rolled down, Sophie steered and I worked the clutch. I was listening to some bebop. We both like May. The other dog here, Groovy, is getting too old to take rides, but will always be The Groovy Dog.

So.

Here is Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins and others in some studio promo bits. In the second scene, that's Buddy Rich on the drums. I got to see him and his band once and his joy was infectious. Charlie, well ... what can you say about a man who smokes cigarettes between riffs on the sax?

And man can I waste some time at YouTube. I can watch Charlie, or Beck or every blessed episode of "Cowboy Bebop", which, you know, has a spaceship named for Charlie's style. The word is Bebop.